When …

When you think you’re taking leave, then they drop the anxiously anticipated fitness updates.

When you thought heights couldn’t possibly get any scarier, then they extend the ladder. (this is 100% not me, but it is a very brave woman!)

When your favorite flowers are ready to explode into bloom!

When you can’t remember if you’ve already shared the photo so you do it again. Because why not.

When you find an unrelated puzzle piece that does not fit the puzzle. Surely it belongs to one of the others previously completed. Right?!

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I ask you –

When…insert something of your own!

(The post When … first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Still Talking About Standards

I think there is some confusion regarding the (soon to be released) updated Air Force fitness standards, specifically the acclimatization period, indicated by the unprofessional eye roll I exhibited when someone said they were instructed to provide feedback once the standards are released. Might be a little late for feedback. It sounded as if the person thought the acclimatization period was for the new standards to acclimate to them. No, no. The acclimatization period is for you to adapt to the standard.

One must understand fitness waits for no one. And if you don’t get onboard now, you will be left behind. The fact that each military member has between 6-12 months to “acclimate” is extremely generous. Upon a high level policy discussion, I shared how I had completed a 5k obstacle run at 16-weeks postpartum. Please don’t tell me you didn’t have enough time to get yourself in shape for these new standards. Please don’t give me your excuses. Might it have been lofty, dare I say stupid, to attempt this endeavor? Sure. But I did it. Because I knew I would be returning to the uniform sooner rather than later. And fitness waits for no one.

Tag: Air Power. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Now – I strive to share fair albeit biased information on RoF. So I’ve put together a sampling of other country’s (enemy and ally) fitness standards. If the US desires to compete as a global power, then we must get a handle on the expanding medical challenges we face, starting with obesity and rapidly growing waistlines. For brevity, I am only researching Air Force standards, not Army or Navy.

Allies

Royal Air Force (RAF) – Candidates must pass a Pre-Joining Fitness Test, which consists of a 2.4km (1.5 mile) run on a treadmill (set to zero incline), and as many press-ups and sit ups as possible in 1 minute. For the male/female pass standards, check out RAF. The same testing methods apply to current RAF members.

Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JSDF), or Japanese Air Force – 20 meter shuttle run, standing long jump, grip strength, sit-ups, and the sit and reach. The initial test is shared on the Japanese SDF page, but it was difficult to determine if this was only for the Army or all branches.

South Korea – an initial “fitness for duty” conscription test is administered to everyone at age 19. This test consists of grip strength, back strength (push ups), sit and reach, standing long-jump, sit-ups, and a 3km shuttle run. The annual requirement includes a 3km run, 2-minutes of push-ups, and 2-minutes of sit-ups. I wasn’t able to locate the pass/fail standards after a cursory search.

German Air Force – annually, members conduct an 11×10 meter shuttle sprint, a flexed-arm hang to measure endurance, and a 1000-meter run. For further explanation of the requirements, click here.

French Air & Space Force – annual requirements include the “beep test”, or shuttle run, of 2400 meters, pull ups, push ups, a 25 meter swim (or other variation), and, possibly, rope climbing. This article from 2010 is the closest I could find for the testing standards.

Enemies

Russian Air Force – scores are categorized for members over and under 30 years of age – a 3km run (cardiovascular), a 100m sprint (speed), pull-ups (upper body strength), and 10×10 meter shuttle runs (agility). Connell, Lennox, and Schwartz (2023) wrote Training in the Russian Armed Forces: An
Assessment of Recent Reforms and their Impact on Russian Operations in Ukraine, an interesting look into the Russian military.

North Korea – the secretiveness of the military regime prevented full research data; however, it is known members adhere to a test which include 30-minutes of power walking, gymnastics without apparatus, and 5-minutes of stretching/squats. Interestingly, military members must initially pass the following checks: at least 148cm (4 ft 9 in) in height and a weight of at least 43kg (94.79 lbs). As malnutrition is a widespread problem in the country, the heigh and weight requirements have adjusted throughout history. Specific information regarding the fitness scores and standards is not publicly available.

People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), or China – testing includes a 2.4 km run, 2 mins of push-ups, 2 mins of sit-ups. Allen and Allen (2018) discuss PLAAF unit testing, as well as Cozad and Wenger (2025) who indicate the challenges facing China’s ability to recruit members based on malnutrition disqualification and one-child families. Access to the fitness standards was difficult to obtain.

Conclusion

Although I had hoped this post would go a different direction using concrete evidence and publicly available data, I still believe the US is on par with other country’s military fitness requirements. The shuttle run is a popular technique amongst allied and enemy countries, as well as the standard push up and sit up. Again, some of the information I found could be slanted towards Army/Navy; however, I put more effort into finding Air Force-specific standards.

So what does this all mean? In truth, I don’t really know. I think most countries agree on the standard fitness tests and mostly agree on the methods to test. Interestingly, I did not purposefully seek data regarding height/weight measurements, which is a tested element in the US and several other countries, despite only North Korea outright sharing the requirement. As malnutrition, corruption, and lack of sustainable food growth is a serious problem in other countries, they have the opposite issue of the US – their people do not eat enough and their growth is stunted. In the US, although food insecurity and a percentage of the population without adequate nutrition exists, we either don’t widely share that data or it is insignificant when researching the military. Perhaps a post for another day.

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I ask you –

Did any of the information above surprise you?

(The post Still Talking About Standards first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

AF Fitness Standards Thoughts + Jan Recap

courtesy of Strava

Although I intended to complete a workout every single day of January, meh. Life happened. P.S. I’m not sure why the graphic says February 2026, when it hasn’t arrived yet. Weird.

screenshot via Strava

Interestingly, the screenshot was correct but not when I use the share button. How odd.

Anyway, now I’ve forgotten the point of this post.

Ok, I’m back.

As 1 March draws near, the grumblings surrounding the Air Force’s updated PT standards resound louder. I’ve heard of every reason why a 2-mile run is simply impossible, including the Body Comp updates, the inclusion of the InBody, etc. This is a sampling of my favorite reasons why a service member believes they will fail –

I’m big boned. Wrong, sir. We all have the same size bones.
I’m a body builder. I can’t run. You can run, but just like you trained to lift heavier weights, you must train aerobic capacity, too.
My job is admin. Why do I need to run anyway? There are many scientific principles regarding cardio and how it trains your body to do other hard things, personally and professionally.

Typically, I answer with my own question – How many overweight people are 80+ years old? Or 70 years old? Or gasp 60? Where and how much weight you carry is directly proportional to longevity.

I don’t know about you but I want to live to see mini graduate as many stages as she desires. I want to meet my grandchildren, and maybe great-grandchildren. I want to run when I’m 60, 70, 80 years old. I want to bend over and tie my own shoes. I want to balance on one leg. I want to outlive the naysayers.

For those who state “We’re all gonna die anyway”, well, good luck. Discipline is hard. But loss is harder. Portion control is hard. But burying a loved one at 50 years old due to heart disease is harder. Exercise is hard. But raising your right hand to defend your country is harder.

Personally, I’m glad the bar is being raised. I’m glad fitness returns to the forefront of military standards. I’m glad decision makers have opened their eyes to the necessity of the 2-mile run and strict body comp measurements. Are there flaws? Absolutely! But will this force the 1% to a) make better decisions regarding their health or b) find a different career field outside of serve and protect?

You know the answer.

________________________

I ask you –

As an outsider, or insider, what are your thoughts on tightening the belt loops of the Air Force’s “fit to fight” culture?

(The post AF Fitness Standards Thoughts + Jan Recap first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Where is the ball?

Disclaimer: I do not know anything about basketball. Zero. None.

A 3-day basketball tournament? Sounds a lot like nails on a chalkboard whilst watching Nascar. I have no desire, no motivation, and no tangible willingness for either. Could it be worse? Sure. But I’d rather not test the theory.

Insert basketball tournament. Oh yay. For weeks, I dreaded it. Not only was it difficult to coordinate, nearly impossible to understand, and fraught with issues way out of my control, I just didn’t wanna. Alas, the show must go on. Fitness stops for no one.

Nothing could have prepared me for the unity, the resiliency, the mental health priority which is basketball, but also sports in general. How narrow-minded of me to misunderstand what running is to me, another sport is to someone else. How I receive clarity and new ideas generation when my feet are pounding the pavement and my breath is rapidly entering/exiting my lungs…is the same for other athletes.

I have hundreds of photos of 11 teams, 125+ players, playing 70+ games over the entirety of the weekend. Here’s the real data: that’s 125+ players choosing their dreams, their sport, and themselves over suicide. That’s 125+ families whose son is going home. That’s 125+ service members returning to their unit/squadron/brigade. The military is 1%. And these 125 human beings still matter.

(L) Brittney and I.
(R) Fort Hood Phantom Warriors (champions) and Cannon AFB (runner up)

Check out this link to our interview with Mike. Forgive our humor, we were tired. Interview

Later, I received one of the most impactful emails I’ve ever read from someone outside my circle. Mike, the Commissioner and Founder of the MBA, recapped our time together with praise, inspiration, and humor. It brought tears to my eyes to be seen from an outsider’s perspective. Admittedly, it took me a few days to formulate a response and we all know I am rarely at a loss for words.

If you’d like more information about the MBA or to see what they’re doing in military and veteran’s lives, check out MBA.

________________________

I ask you –

What do you know about basketball? I just learned the purpose of a shot clock.

(The post Where is the ball? first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Sips and Cigs

Any time I see someone smoking a cigarette, I think to myself they must be rich. Have you seen those prices? Only an addict would pay $10+ per pack of cigarettes. Rich folks.

Do the commercials still exist where they state that if you forgo your daily coffee, then you’ll save $200 per month? Let’s do some math.

Cigarettes: $10/pack, avg smoker smokes 1 pack/2 days. 7 days/wk, 3.5 packs/wk = $35.

Coffee: $6/coffee, 1 coffee/day, 7/wk = $36.

Basic math would show you the two habits are roughly equal. Health wise, not so much.

Another way to put it is this: (stolen from a meme) If I see someone at a movie theater with candy, popcorn, and a drink, they must be a drug dealer because there is no real excuse for that type of money.

Thought Break –

Certified!

The relevance of the above photos fit directly into the title.

I had been trying to attend this course for months, but work things continued to pop up each time I registered. This was the final course available in 2025. Done!
As a regular electrolyte drinker, I thought I would enjoy LMNT (pronounced element or elementy). Others had flavored options while I had the unflavored one. Holy salt cow. It was if I took a drink from the ocean. No thanks. I’ll stick with my XTEND.

Landing the Plane

Recently, my team somehow ended up in possession of a “gently used” vape. With nearly a full battery and approximately half of the liquid contents, I wasn’t sure what to do. We have signage regarding not throwing away batteries, electronic cigarettes, etc. so I knew that much. Google helped me none. When I contacted safety, it became a nuclear issue. And that’s the story of how I became responsible for a new safety policy. Not responsible for the design, but responsible for the reason. Sorry, everyone, I don’t know anything about these things.

_____________________

I ask you –

What are your thoughts on the cost of cigarettes?

(The post Sips and Cigs first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Resetting the Standard

Is hard. (courtesy of my Muse’s mind)

The pressure on the defending champion is unimaginable. Unless you’ve been the defender. Back-to-back wins, to continue being the best…well, sometimes it is impossible.

Leaders are responsible for setting the standard, communicating the standard, and leading others to accomplish the standard.

Then, there’s feedback. Or evaluation, appraisal, whatever new age terminology we’re using at the time. A period of self-reflection, a give-and-take on what’s working and what’s not. Some prefer numerical feedback, for example, on a scale of 1 to 10. Others prefer the paragraphical feedback, either via a list or some other structured narration of the best and worst.

This all sounds simple. Set standard, evaluate, give feedback. Done!

What’s being forgotten? Answer: feelings, interpersonal relationships, and humans being human. No surprise. So every time humans act like humans, the process is substantially more difficult. Evaluating behavior is not numerical nor is it narrative. Yet leaders are expected to do so. With a smile. Guess what? It gets harder every time, which is why resetting the standard is often a burdensome (and worthy) process easily relegated to the back burner. Because it is not fun. Because it is time-consuming. Because it is lonely. But none of these reasons is a valid one to give up on it.

What’s more telling than anything I’ve written here? How one accepts the feedback. And that, my dear, is a you problem.

_____________________

I ask you –

What is your preferred evaluation style?

(The post Resetting the Standard first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

(Hope)ful

“Hope is not a strategy”. – from a recent leadership perspective on how to deal with inaction.

Photo by Lynnelle Richardson on Pexels.com

This one hit home. Because how many times have we said “Well, I hope it works out!” or, my favorite, “I hope you get better.” There’s nothing wrong with hope; in fact, it’s a tenant of faith. However, relegating hope to a place where it has no action is ludicrous. Please continue to use it to express sorrow or a place-filler for condolences (although much more can be said on this topic). But stop relying on hope to make a decision or, equally important, to lead others.

Early on, in this furlough period, I began a list of “wins”, the little things my team was able to accomplish. Some may say the little wins were nothing short of doing their job, but I wanted stories to tell later when the significance of them being there was overshadowed by other things, “more crucial things”. 43+ days later, when I re-read the older accomplishments, I feel more than pride. This time is the epitome of resilient. They keep showing up. They keep smiling. They keep trying to improve and help others. And they’re doing it without a paycheck in sight.

My pride, if there ever was any, is nonexistent. I have asked others for money, gift cards, and groceries for my team. I have driven through food pantries and visited the Salvation Army. I have donated my time to ensure they have what is needed to help them and their families survive. Many still refuse to ask for help. Others pour their time and energy into locating resources for my team. They offer tissues and a shoulder to cry on when it becomes overwhelming. These people are heroes.

hope in life’s changes

Each morning, I hope for a change in the furlough status. For 43 days, that hope has not come to fruition. So, I do what I have to do to keep them afloat, from a quick game of badminton to flexing schedules for carpools. If you’d told me this was what leadership looked like, it is not that I would not have believed you, but I would think I may do things differently. Wrong again. We never know how we will truly act or react until the moment comes to pass. And here we are.

Hope did not lead me to action, but it softened the blow of no change. I still have hope. However, all I now hope for is help – for them, for me, for all who are struggling.

_____________________

I ask you –

What does hope mean to you?

(The post (Hope)ful first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Allow me to inform you –

Credit: IG, errantscience.com

I found this stupid funny meme that said something along the lines of an airline PA system asking for a doctor to help someone write a 500-word abstract in less than 5 minutes, ending with…finally, I’m the doctor they need! Paraphrasing obviously. The meme disappeared before I could screen grab it so now you’re stuck with my pathetic recall. But you get the idea!

In all seriousness, this is a tough time. I’ve been officially furloughed but with excepted service for 31 days at the time of this writing (more by the time you read this). This means I go to work everyday for no immediate pay. Sure, I’ll get back pay when it’s all said and done but my immediate needs are burdensome – things like buying groceries and putting gas in my car. More than me, I lead a team of 7 excepted employees and 9 furloughed employees who are feeling the immediate pain of this situation. They work for hourly pay and may not have a savings account to rely on. They have families to feed. They need gas to fill their vehicles to drive to the job that isn’t paying them.

I think the most common misconception is overlooking the government shutdown as something where people may think ‘I don’t know anyone affected by it.’ You know me. And I know hundreds of others who are affected. These people are my team, my friends, my coworkers.

I work in fitness which, if anyone stays updated, has taken a front row seat to nearly all other updates, changes, and restructuring in the military. This means we are more important than ever in creating, building, and sustaining a “fit to fight” military workforce. I’m not personally opposed to the changes in the standards as I have nearly always understood why a fit military is imperative to success. It’s also imperative to a healthy, long life with your family and friends. This may sound callous but please hear my heart when I ask how many overweight people have you met who lived past 70? Do your own research. Maybe you don’t care to live past 70, but I guarantee there’s someone in your life who does.

The fitness background I’ve mentioned gives you context to why excepted service is important even during a government shutdown. The military continue to serve, paycheck or not. Therefore, my team must be available to serve them. It’s more than opening the doors to a building each day. It is ensuring they have the testing supplies available, can continue to self-improve, and, some would say equally important, building morale.

You see, fitness isn’t just working out. For some, it is therapy. For some, it is the only thing between depression and suicide. Maybe that sounds dramatic, but I can assure you it is not. The benefits of exercise surpass nearly every known disease and have the power to reverse it. True story. So for anyone doubting the importance of fitness in today, tomorrow, and next year’s world, there is statistical evidence of its importance.

The U.S. needs people who do the work I do. It needs people who do the work my team does. I am no one without them. And they deserve paychecks to support the military and their own families. The next time you vote, the next time you consider who the shutdown affects, please think of me. Please think of the single mom who shows up everyday at 0445 to help others improve their fitness levels so they can be fit to fight. Today, the only fight I want to have is the one where every employee is paid to do the job they took an oath to obtain. These federal employees did. I did. But somehow it feels forgotten.

________________

I ask you –

Did you know over 300,000 federal employees are working without a paycheck during this government shutdown?

Do you know who is still receiving a check? Be informed.

(The post Allow me to inform you – first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Running from Zombies

If I’ve learned anything during this furlough, it is to take it slower. Much slower. But not too slow because I just can’t.

A run collection

For weeks, I have been doing two-a-day workouts and I’m feeling the best I ever have. That’s not taking it slow, Kel. In other ways, I have been giving endless grace. The first week of the furlough, admittedly, I was angry. Angry we had gotten to this point. Anger directed at everyone around me. But soon I realized anger wasn’t getting me anywhere. Now, and since, I’ve been in a numb sense of acceptance. I do not like this situation. I still battle anger and disappointment. But I’m humbled every single day by a team of few who continue to show up. And it’s what they deserve from me.

the team

You don’t know what ya got til it’s gone. Oh, but I did know. I would have rather never experienced it. Despite the furlough, the show must go on. Despite taking a massive manpower hit, the expectation to deliver is still there. Thankfully, with the help of dozens of volunteers and a killer core team, we executed the 2025 Zombie Run 5k of over 300 participants. To say I was stressed was an understatement. But they did it.

I think I could outrun the politicians, or zombies, in charge of bureaucratic decision-making. But a nice right hook to the jaw might be more fun. Well deserved.

________________

I ask you –

In a run with a zombie, would you win?

(The post Running from Zombies first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

How long…?

How long before the NFL bans any helmet to helmet contact, specifically the jovial nod/tap between players? Guess TBI has only one cause.

39 years: how long it took me to commit to placing stickers in a notebook.

How long before I’m famous for my humor and clever remarks? Answer: not long at all! I was privileged to introduce Mike Super for an Air Force Live event. Mini and I really enjoyed the show, received a t-shirt, and got to take photos with the greatest magician/illusionist I’ve ever seen.

How long can I keep up with these two-a-day workouts? Answer. As of this writing, almost the entirety of October! Nothing like a furlough to remind you that you’re capable of hard things.

_________________

I ask you –

Question and answer: how long (fill in the blank).

(The post How long…? first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)